Direct Mail Tips & Insights

Have you ever received a mail piece that just seemed to make no sense to you? Did the piece advertise odd features of a product, or was it hard to read? You can learn a lesson from these mailers and when its your turn to create your mail piece, make sure to create it from your customer’s point of view.

But how exactly do you think like your customer?

First off, realize what’s important to you, might not be important to your customer. As you are conceptualizing your piece, try to think about the features of your product, service or event that stand out to you as a user. Depending on your subject, these may be quite different than what stands out to you as an observer within your organization. For example, you may be tempted to use technical verbiage that is meaningful within your organization, but is not easily understandable to your end user. It may be in your best interested to explain the technical verbiage to the prospect, or choose simpler verbiage when applicable.

Second, narrow your focus for quicker communication. Often, direct mailers make the mistake of trying to fit too much information within a small space. Too much information leads to clutter. In today’s over-messaged marketplace, simple stands out. Direct mail offers are processed quickly by your readers, and in order to make an impact within the short amount of time your readers give each mail piece, you must be concise and targeted in your concept. Give the reader only as much information as they need to take your desired action—call your office, log on to your website or stop by your facility, etc. There’s a good chance that you will still need to offer your prospect more information once they contact you but remember, the goal of direct mail is to acquire qualified, interested leads that you can convert into sales once the prospect contacts you.

Finally, give your prospects a good reason to call. The most important part of your direct mail promotion is the offer, and you’d better make it compelling enough to get a response. Remember the old adage, you’ve gotta give something to get something. A temporary discount, and added bonus or even a valuable packet of information can be great offers. All-too-often mailers make the mistake of simply offering their information up to prospects with “nothing in it” for the prospect. In today’s self-centric society, the offer, or customer benefit, is what gets your prospects to call.